Wanna Be
by 177223
Summary: Songfic to the song of the same name by nine days. Mainly J/M, but set at Yugi and Tea's wedding. I guess I didn't plan that one well. R&R please!


Finally... I have time to type something up! So I type this thing..... The Joey/Mai songfic that almost drove me insane... OOC-ness: Forgive me for portraying Mai as kinda clingy (and also messing with her age, but I really have no idea how old she is. If that was wine she was drinking on the Battle Ship.....), Joey as heartless (and shy in flashbacks), and Malik and Bakura as delinquents. Also forgive me for writing a fic where Yugi and Tea are getting married, yet they are never mentioned after we establish that fact. Also forgive me for skipping the reception, as I would also love to see the giant cake. Heh. Thank you.  
  
=lalalala= is the song.....  
  
Oh yeah, I don't own YuGiOh (if I did, Joey and Mai would have hooked up by now.) or the song "Wanna be" (nine days, the best band in the world that hardly anyone has heard of. They sang that song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" for those of you who might know that... anyway.).  
  
So read it, review it.  
  
Three years.  
  
I hadn't seen him in three years.  
  
I'd seen the others, of course. Tea still didn't seem to like me that much. Yugi had finally gotten tall. And Tristan lived a floor below me. he had invited me - on Yugi's behalf, of course.  
  
But Joey...  
  
"Hey Mai!" Tristan's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.  
  
"Hello, Tristan," I said. "How are you?"  
  
"Great," he replied. "Sure is hard to believe though. Yugi and Tea getting married..."  
  
I nodded. "Seems like just yesterday I met you guys..." I was lying, of course. Each day had gone by slowly.  
  
And I had never heard from him.  
  
"Better go get a seat....." said Tristan. "We don't want to miss this!"  
  
I smiled and nodded. We walked into the beautiful garden and found two seats near the front. I looked around for some sign of him, but found nothing. There weren't all that many familiar faces. I recognized Yugi's grandpa...... and Bakura..... and-  
  
Wait..... was that..... his sister?  
  
Yes, it was. She walked in and headed straight toward us. But why-  
  
Of course. She and Tristan were dating. How easily I forget.  
  
Serenity walked up and greeted us. "Isn't this exciting?" She smiled. "It's so cool that they're getting married- and they've been dating since what, tenth grade?" She glanced at Tristan, who was trying to make a whistle out of a blade of grass, and rolled her eyes. She turned to me. "Oh, by the way Mai," she said, "Joey asked about you. He said he looked forward to seeing you. Do you know if he's here yet?"  
  
I shook my head. "Haven't seen him," I replied, while my mind raced with a million questions. "He'd asked about me? Why? What did he say? Why did he want to see me?"  
  
"Maybe....." I thought, "the same reason I want to see him."  
  
And then he walked in.  
  
=To watch the leaves grow on the trees with you is out of question  
  
I walk into the summer all alone the usual session  
  
You feel your instinct and you act but was it your intention  
  
To leave me down and broken now you've ended our ascension  
  
Yeah=  
  
Seeing his face..... it brought back so many memories. Mostly good ones. We were both still in high school when I knew him. He was a year below me. I saw him all the time, even though he was at Domino and I was across town. Either in the mornings when I'd grab a latte before school or around lunch when I'd go get a bite to eat, he was there. Sometimes I'd see him after school. We were..... almost.....  
  
Friends.  
  
We never dated, of course. Nothing like that. The only date we ever went on was a kind of triple date with Yugi and Tea, Tristan and Serenity. It was Serenity's first date, and I think Joey just wanted to go to make sure his best friend didn't try to put too many moves on his little sister. He brought me along as his date so it wouldn't look like he was watching out for Serenity, but it was obvious. We went out to dinner, then to a romantic, never-ever-could-possibly-happen kind of movie. It was really dark, so no one could see more than two feet in front of their face. That annoyed Joey a lot because he couldn't keep an eye on Serenity (well, Tristan for that matter), but eventually he got over it and just leaned back and watched the movie.  
  
The movie itself reminded me, oddly enough, of Romeo and Juliet, in that both the main characters came from controlling families with arranged marriages and such. Except this movie had a happy ending.  
  
I remember towards the end, Joey had yawned, stretched, and slipped his arm around me. He'd pulled me close, just as the two in the movie were about to kiss. And I'll always remember what he said.  
  
"Hey, Mai," he'd whispered. "Have you ever wanted something like that?" He motioned to the couple onscreen, who were now passionately kissing.  
  
"Maybe," I'd whispered back. "Why?"  
  
"Well," he whispered, pulling me closer, "It's not like anyone's watching....."  
  
I caught a glimpse of his brown eyes in the darkness and moved in closer. I would have kissed him.  
  
Except at that moment, the fire alarm went off.  
  
The authorities said later the fire was traced back to a movie down the hall, where Malik and Bakura were sitting in the back row and using a lighter to ignite their popcorn. The two spent the night in jail, then were sent home.  
  
Everyone laughed about it later. But I couldn't help but wonder.....  
  
What would a kiss then have led to?  
  
=I still can feel the beach sand in my shoes  
  
remember when we talked along the ocean's song 'til blue from black fade in  
  
but that was then I learned to live without you far within  
  
I ask you why you're back to try to let me lose again=  
  
Back to the present.  
  
He was here. I watched him as he stood there with that lost look he always had on his face. Then he caught sight of Tristan- he was heading straight for us.  
  
I quickly turned around and struck up a conversation with Serenity about how beautiful the garden was or something like that. I wondered if he'd seen me yet.  
  
I heard him greet Tristan. Conversation ended between myself and Serenity as she turned to say hello.  
  
"Hey Tristan," said Joey, "Why don't you introduce me to these two lovely ladies over here?" He motioned to me and Serenity. I don't think he recognized me. It had been a few years.....  
  
Tristan laughed. "Well, on my left is Serenity Wheeler. I do believe you've already met. And on my right is Mai Valentine."  
  
I saw the look pass over his face as Tristan said my name. He recognized me now, all right. And I'm sure the same memories were running through his head. His eyes locked into mine and he smiled a sad smile.  
  
"Hey Mai," he said. "Been a while, huh?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," I stuttered back, confused. This wasn't the Joey I remembered. I guess people change.  
  
But I won't go into that now.  
  
=You brought me here you wet my taste  
  
you disappear without a trace  
  
it wasn't me who made the call=  
  
He sat between Tristan and Serenity as the ceremony began. I was never really into weddings, so I let my mind wander.  
  
I remembered a camping trip. Me, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Yugi, and Serenity. We were all still in high school. Thinking back, I guess the six of us did a lot together.  
  
Anyway, we were at the lake. It was a lot of fun- we built a fire on the beach, roasted marshmallows, told ghost stories, and basically just had a really great time.  
  
Probably around midnight, Joey squeezed my hand, stood up, and motioned for me to follow him into the woods. I looked at him quizzically, but I went after him. He led me to a tent and we stepped inside. It was the tent he was sharing with Serenity; all that was in there were two air mattresses and a lantern. He turned on the lantern, looked outside to be sure we were alone, then closed the entrance. We sat on the air mattresses.  
  
"I need to talk to you," he said softly.  
  
"Uh huh....." I said, wondering what this was about. It wasn't like Joey to be this serious.  
  
"I..... I think-" he stammered, then softly, but clearly, "I think I'm falling in love with you."  
  
He paused there, perhaps waiting for me to provide a sarcastic remark or get up and leave or do something, but no. However, I think I did stop breathing for a moment.  
  
He continued. "That night, at the movies? We came pretty close to....." he trailed off, and I think he really wanted me to say something.  
  
But there was nothing to say.  
  
And so I kissed him.  
  
=cause now I wanna be  
  
where you sleep where you laugh where you breathe  
  
and I hate to say still I sway brown your eyes gone away=  
  
Who knows how long we were in that tent? But at some point, we saw a flashlight coming and heard Tristan and Serenity's voices.  
  
Joey and I looked at each other and knew no one could find out about us yet. I don't know why- it just seemed wrong somehow. Unfortunately, there was really nowhere to hide. There were the two beds and the lantern.  
  
Joey motioned to his air mattress and I gave him an incredulous look. He rolled his eyes. "Come on," he whispered, "it's worth a shot."  
  
I grinned, and we quickly climbed onto the air mattress. We laid back to back, with the blanket pulled up over my head and right under his chin. I felt his heartbeat on the back of my neck.  
  
It was lucky my feet weren't sticking out because at that moment, someone walked in.  
  
"Hey Joey....." I heard Serenity's voice. "What's up?"  
  
"Not much," he replied, "just sleeping."  
  
"With the lantern on."  
  
"I was..... just about to turn it off."  
  
"I'm sure....." she said, then paused. "Hey Joey."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're not....." she trailed off.  
  
I held my breath.  
  
"What?" I felt Joey tense up.  
  
She laughed. "You're afraid of the dark, aren't you?"  
  
We both relaxed.  
  
"I am not!" he protested.  
  
Serenity laughed again as she stepped out of the tent.  
  
After about a minute, Joey checked to make sure she was gone. He turned to me and grinned.  
  
"Of all the things I've done," I said, "that was pretty weird."  
  
"But it was fun," he added. "And I think she actually bought it."  
  
"She didn't notice me at all?"  
  
He shook his head. "That lantern cast some pretty weird shadows....."  
  
I grinned at him slyly. "Are you really not afraid of the dark? Because if you are, you can tell me."  
  
He rolled his eyes and helped me up. Then we stepped outside. I was about to head back to my tent when he called my name. I turned-  
  
And he kissed me again.  
  
=should I feel some closure I deserve if that at least  
  
and should you be so kind to show reasons for your release  
  
you woke me up from a distant past I left behind complete  
  
the message that you sent that night falls to bittersweet=  
  
No one ever did find out. About me and Joey, I mean. I looked around at all the people there. Tea and Yugi were at the altar, Tristan on my left, the aisle on my right. I turned around and smiled as I saw Seto Kaiba slip into the back row, fashionably late, being dragged by his little brother.  
  
I looked back to my left and noticed Joey was watching me. I quickly turned back to the ceremony.  
  
So Yugi and Tea said their "I do"s and he kissed her and everybody was all happy.  
  
But I couldn't help thinking.....  
  
It could've been us.  
  
=it wasn't me my honesty you fail to show I never know  
  
it wasn't me who made the call=  
  
I walked blindly through the reception, then everyone walked to the road to watch Mr. and Mrs. Yugi Mutoh drive off to their honeymoon. People were waving, crying, doing all manner of things. I looked around.....  
  
And Joey wasn't there.  
  
"That's strange....." I thought. Disappearing at his best friend's wedding was not characteristic of Joey. (A/N: but no one in this fic is in character anyway!) Then again, since I saw him last, Joey hadn't really been himself.  
  
I last saw him the summer after he'd graduated. We'd driven down to the beach to finally have some time together without having to worry about seeing anyone we knew. We were very secretive about it- even to the point of taking separate cars.  
  
It was the day we were to return home. Our last full day together. I woke up that morning and looked for Joey- he wasn't there. I stepped out onto the balcony to see if he was out there, looked down, and his car was gone. I asked the lady at the front desk if she'd seen him and she said he'd already checked out. I tried calling his cell, but he had it turned off.  
  
So I had no choice but to drive home. I told myself I'd call him when I got home. I imagined so many scenarios driving down that road, each one worse than the next.  
  
So I finally got home. I was angry, confused, worried, hurt..... I called him, got the answering machine, left a message. A few minutes later, called again, left another message. Hours later, called again, left a message. The next day, called again. But after a while I stopped leaving messages. Then I just stopped calling. At some point I saw Serenity and asked subtly, "So, how's Joey?"  
  
"Fine," she replied, "saw him yesterday."  
  
That hurt. He knew I'd been calling. He knew I'd been worried.  
  
I thought he knew I loved him.  
  
=cause I wanna be  
  
where you sleep where you laugh where you breathe  
  
and I hate to say still I sway brown your eyes gone away=  
  
I slipped out of the reception (which was at Domino High School, of all places, I mean, it could've at least been at the game shop or something) and quietly walked through the halls. I told myself I was looking for the ladies' room, but my heart knew I was looking for Joey.  
  
So I turned silently down a dark hall- but then, a sound. It came from a dark room with a barely open door. I had just passed it; and without thinking, I turned around, slipped inside, and pulled the door shut.  
  
Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.  
  
"Wha- who is that?"  
  
It was his voice. It was Joey.  
  
One hand was on my shoulder while the other searched for a light switch. He finally found the lights, and I discovered we were in a broom closet. Joey had one foot stuck in a bucket and a curtain wrapped around his head. I laughed at the sheer absurdity of it.  
  
"Hang on," I said, moving closer and unwrapping the curtain. He blinked a few times, looked into my eyes, then blushed and removed his hand from my shoulder.  
  
"Thanks, Mai....." he said, "um..... I gotta go....." He reached to open the door- only to find it was locked from the outside. He smiled weakly and sighed. "Looks like we're stuck in here."  
  
I sighed and leaned against the wall. "Joey..... I need to talk to you."  
  
"Okay," said Joey, pulling his foot out of the bucket.  
  
"Three years, Joey. It has been three years. What happened to you? What happened to us?"  
  
He sighed, turned the bucket over, and sat on it. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that."  
  
"When I'd ask you that? Joseph Wheeler, you know I called you for a week after you got home! You know I asked about you!"  
  
"Hey, I asked about you too, alright? It's not like I had a choice....."  
  
"But you did have a choice. You at least should have called, or written, or..... something!"  
  
"You don't know how it felt, Mai!"  
  
"How what felt? Joey, I don't even know what happened!"  
  
He sighed. "That's because I didn't want you to know what happened." He looked up at me. He seemed sad. "I'm sorry, Mai. I never meant to hurt you."  
  
"So what happened?" I asked. I didn't really expect an answer, but I'd waited three years to ask that one question.  
  
He sighed and looked at his feet. "Mai," he began, "you remember that night three years ago? At the beach?"  
  
"How could I forget it?" I replied, pulling up a second bucket and sitting next to him. "It was the last time I saw you."  
  
"Well, that night we'd been downstairs partying, then you said you were tired and went back to your room."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Well, a little while after you left, someone brought in a bunch of alcohol. They were just handing it out, and I had one drink too many. There was this girl, Mai..... I wasn't thinking straight..... I woke up in her room the next morning..... I couldn't face you." He looked up at me. "I'm sorry."  
  
=was it me my honesty  
  
you fail to show I never know  
  
you brought me here you wet my taste you disappear without a trace=  
  
I was speechless. What could I say? So he'd cheated on me three years ago.  
  
I looked into his eyes. I should've been hurt. I should've been angry. And I was.  
  
But I still loved him.  
  
=did you think I'd ever lead you wrong?  
  
Just know I'll save all of our moments that we are=  
  
"Joey." I spoke his name in a tone indescribable. Full of anger, pain, and..... love. "Thanks. For finally telling me."  
  
"It feels good to have told you."  
  
"It feels better to know.  
  
There was silence.  
  
"Hey Mai."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you want to..... start over?"  
  
I kissed him.  
  
=still I wanna be  
  
where you sleep where you laugh where you breathe  
  
and I hate to say still I sway brown your eyes gone away =  
  
~fin~  
  
Well, that's it. I cut the last few lines out of the song..... Review it please. Even if you thought it was crap. Like I did. Whenever I find time to get "Numb" up, then we'll see a better fic. Thanks a bunch! 


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